


The Banita/Itaban Collection

by rinnytin



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:22:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25046071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinnytin/pseuds/rinnytin
Summary: Just a collection of Banri/Itaru drabbles/one shots that 1) I don't feel like can be standalone or 2) have been in my drafts for so long and I want them to be free.Rating in chapter title and major tag warnings will be listed in the beginning notes so please check them before reading!
Relationships: Chigasaki Itaru/Settsu Banri
Comments: 7
Kudos: 47





	1. I Think I Like You [Rated T]

Itaru was sure that he was doing just fine on his own - he was leveled just enough that he was able to get through most normie social situations with little to no damage to his reputation and was able to survive long periods without his social needs deplete by even a point. Plus, he was sure that a relationship would spell disaster for his gaming time so he just never even attempted to indulge anyone in the idea that he was interested.

“Itaru, I know you said that you weren’t interested in dating but maybe you should look into finding a friend to hang out with instead of you just playing your games all time,” Izumi said, smiling as if she didn’t just insult his lifestyle in a single blow. She was so oblivious to how much of his life has ridden on the fact that he was meant to play on his own.

“No thanks, unless they’re able to keep up with me or are fine with just staying out of the way while I game,” Itaru smiled as Sakyo and Izumi shot a look at each other, the perfect example of what they wanted him from him - weirdly domestic and _boring_. If maybe one day someone came into his life that was able to play games with him without expecting anything else out of him.

“Good luck finding someone who wants to subject themselves to that,” Sakyo scoffed and Itaru shrugged - Sakyo shouldn’t be the one trying to convince him to make a move towards a relationship when he was in denial about his feelings, “You’re young and apparently, many people find you attractive so once you clean up your act with your gaming addiction, you should be able to find someone nice.”

“Maybe I don’t want to change myself just so I can find some normal person to waste my time with,” Itaru shrugged again, growing annoyed with the turn in the conversation. Why were they so concerned about what he was spending his off-hours doing when it wasn’t affecting the company in any way. He stopped ditching practices early to play games and started even putting in more hours during the extra practices the week before performances, they should be happy that he let that eat through his time, “Anyways, I have to get a call with my project manager in 30 minutes so I have to use up my stamina before it. Thanks for dining.”

He got up and gathered his dishes before making a b-line towards the courtyard door - he wasn’t lying about the call so he felt better about skipping the rest of the one-sided conversation. It’s not like he could say anything that would make them stop hounding him to stop gaming and settle for someone who has nothing in common with him, just so he can say that he’s settling down. The walk to his room was just as uneventful as he anticipated - 15 LP down, two rush events that he easily passed with 2 SP thanks to his full team of fully leveled event cards. He really didn’t need to try that hard for the event, his best girl was a gacha pull that he got in a lucky Sakuya solo pull. 

A notification banner popped up - a message from Banri who was under the contact _Neo_ for the purpose that while he knew a few other Banri’s but _Neo_ Banri was the only one he cared enough to talk to. It was usually about game news, sometimes about company stuff - on the rare occasion asking to hang out. 

_From NEO:_ _Do you actually have to work or was it just an excuse to get out that convo?_

_To NEO: Not an excuse, but thankfully it was well-timed for their ambush_

_From NEO: Yeah, text me when you’re done?_

_To NEO: Will do_

He fell onto his gaming chair - switching between a few games to deplete with his stamina before sighing and practicing his work voice before starting at his home screen, waiting for the call prompt to appear. 

*** 

The call took about 15 minutes - Itaru’s input wasn’t necessary since the project manager was set in her idea of having Itaru be the face of the company for the upcoming season of career days. He debated on waiting a bit longer to text Banri to come over so it looks like it was a serious conversation that was not at all worth an email at most. 

_To NEO: Call is over, you can come over_

_From NEO: That was quick, be right over_

Banri didn’t knock - he never did, but Itaru never really cared. Banri was one of the few people that was fine with invading his time considering he usually just plays his own games or watches him play; it felt nice to be able to talk to someone about his games without getting the nagging feeling that he was exposing too much of his true personality. Even with the company, he was guarded still about talking about the new things in his games since most of them didn’t care enough or barely showed interest. Citron and Sakuya were enthusiastic enough about things, but Sakuya was just excited about anything that made the rest of the guys happy and didn’t really understand. 

“They started grilling me about my love life once you left,” Banri said, putting his phone down and pushing the clothes that were on the couch onto the floor before laying down. He didn’t care about the mess either, which Itaru was thankful for since he didn’t have to pretend to care just so he could hang out, “Don’t know why the hell they care ‘bout it tonight.”

“Because practices have been going smoothly, Yuki and Sakyo aren’t at each other’s throats over the budget and Izumi hasn’t made curry for a week. Our love lives are the next disaster to start picking apart,” Itaru said, turning on his PC before swiveling his chair to face Banri while it booted. 

“How can something non-existent be a disaster,” Banri laughed and caught the waded shirts that Itaru threw at him with ease before shrugged as he continued, “Oi! They came after me too.”

“Yeah, but you have a fighting chance at dating,” Itaru shot back, getting up to grab a hair tie from the coffee table and tying his bangs up. Banri was normal with secret nerdy hobbies, but since he was good at everything it was easy to overlook that since he had other things to offer. Itaru knew he was a nerd, there wasn’t much could offer outside his gaming knowledge and skills, and his secret was that he wasn’t at all like the public persona he puts out. 

“I mean you’re good looking, but a complete nerd. There’s a whole bunch of people out there looking for a prince charming that they can relate to,” Banri smiled as Itaru opened his mouth to respond, but he paused before smiling and shaking his head. He didn’t know why it caught him off guard when he processed that Banri said he was good looking - he’s heard it before from the people at his workplace, from the people who watched their shows, the little fan accounts that were made for him. It was different when it came from him because he’s heard it all before, but when Banri said it he believed it.

“Call me prince charming while you’re sitting on what is probably a pile of my dirty clothes,” He fell back on to his chair and turned around to boot up the game client - knowing that there was new expansion update so he probably had to wait a bit before he could escape this weird conversation. He didn’t know why Banri would complain about getting his love life questioned, then continue the conversation in what should have been the safe space of his bedroom.

“Well, you gotta find someone who is willing to put up with your messy room and the fact that you’re not even subtle about how much you don’t want to take part in conversations,” Banri continued to pick him apart, “Someone who is fine with your chosen path as a gamer despite being regarded highly as both a salaryman and actor.”

“You’re acting like I am actively looking for someone in the first place,” Itaru shot back, rolling his eyes as the update bar settled on 1.5 hours for the game to be playable and if Banri wanted to continue with this conversation, Itaru was gonna kick him out.

“Imma be honest, if you ever do get in a relationship, I’d be jealous,” Banri got up, leaning over the back of his chair. Itaru felt like he was on fire, swallowing the words that got stuck in his throat because he _knew_ that Banri was just being a little shit to get a rise out of him, but still, he was getting flustered. He liked Banri, that much he knew to be true, but he never really thought of _how_ he liked him - he always assumed that it was just friendly since he never really had experiences crushing on real people or having real friends, to begin with. But he had to admit that sometimes he did find himself wishing that Banri would ask him to hang out more, but between practice, his work and Banri’s university work even hangouts like this were getting less frequent. Would Banri be jealous that someone else could possibly eat into their game time together? Or was it because he wanted to be that person? 

It was stupid to think about that being a possibility, but he’s played enough dating sims in his life to feel that even someone as cool and easygoing could think of him in a romantic way. He opened his mouth to question him on what exactly he meant by that, but his mouth was too dry and his brain was running a billion route opinions that he just sat there quietly. Banri laughed and moved to sit at on the folding chair that Itaru had left there for when he came over - a detail of his life that he never thought about, but now was overanalyzing. He felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach, Banri was an adult but he was still a teenager - he couldn’t even begin to think of the things people would say about him if they did ever date. The fact that he was also working in the same company could cause an issue. More important than either of those points, he didn’t even know why he was feeling like this all of a sudden. It could be from a place of safety since Banri knew him and still wanted to talk to him, but it could also be from a place of fear that nobody else would get to the point of seeing him for who he is and stick around. 

“Why would you be jealous?” He finally managed, turning his attention to his mobage even though his stamina wasn’t replenished.

“Dunno,” Banri shrugged and Itaru wondered if he had these same feelings, but was just that good at covering them up, “But thinking you’d be hangin’ out with someone other than me like this, kinda pisses me off.”

“You’re mad that someone else might dungeon crawl with me?” Itaru was somewhat disappointed with that answer.

“Yeah. But just like, imagining you going to the arcade or somethin’ on like dates and shit,” Banri scoffed and shook his head, “Forget it. I don’t wanna talk ‘bout it anymore.”

“I think I like you, Banri, but I don’t know,” Itaru said, not really paying attention as he entered a battle. But the words caught up and he paused the game, ready to apologize and tell Banri to forget what he just said.

“I _know_ I like you, Itaru,” Banri smiled and took the phone from Itaru’s frozen hands and placed it on his desk. That quelled the panic in that was growing but now Itaru was confused whether or not the tightening in his chest was good or bad. He looked up at Banri with an awkward smile despite his brain telling him to abort the mission and just leave his room. He didn’t know what to do he Banri’s hand came up to cup his cheek except lean in just like they do in the movies, maybe if they kissed that could be the thing that makes him decide whether or not he actually liked him.

“If you don’t like it we can just forget it happened, ‘kay? Just go back to gaming and hangin’ out,” Banri said, almost as if he was reassuring himself that things could go back to normal even if this wasn’t what Itaru wanted, “I never kissed anyone so just, don’t make fun of me.”

Banri leaned in and Itaru sucked in a breath, holding it in until he felt the warmth of Banri’s lips against his. He didn’t know what to do either, so he tried to follow Banri’s lead but that just ended up with them awkwardly clicking their teeth together. Banri pulled back with a laugh, a blush dusting his cheeks as he waited for Itaru to give him the sign to either stop or continue. Itaru smiled, leaning in again and pressing a soft peck on Banri’s lips with a silent prayer that he wasn’t grossed out by his chapped lips, but Banri quickly responded with frantic kisses of his own - his hand slipping into the older man’s hair before he pulled away with a smirk, still cradling the back of his head.

“So, you still thinkin’ about whether or not you like me?” He asked, not in the cocky knowing way that Itaru would have expected, but in a shy, almost hopeful tone. 

  
“I like you,” Itaru answered once his head stopped spinning with a flurry of confusion and relief. He was about to move in for another kiss but a chime went off from his speakers and he quietly turned his attention to the game client, which was now showing a green bar and the play button now clickable, “Shit that was fast, you gonna play the new expansion or do you want to watch?” 

Banri smiled and straightened himself out before shrugging, leaning back as Itaru seemingly forgot about how flustered he was just a minute ago as he loaded up his main character. It wasn’t like he was expecting him to continue to be flustered and shy, Itaru had been waiting for the update since it was announced and his ability to switch into game mode was unmatched - if not a little concerning. Itaru sat back as the expansion cutscene started, looking over at Banri with a smile, his cheeks returning to a soft pink blush. 

“I think kissing is the first thing that you aren’t immediately perfect at,” Itaru said with a smirk, but he knew that it was useless to tease him over something he knew that he wasn’t any better at. It was made even worst since he was older but just as inexperienced, “I expected that you would have had some practice.”

“The hell does that mean? You’ve got like 5 years on me, shouldn’t you be a better kisser?” Banri smiled as he shoved the chair with enough force that Itaru rolled a few inches.

“I never dated,” Itaru shrugged and he scooted back to his under his desk, starting the new main quest, “I went from being bullied for looking and acting like a nerd to being praised for hiding the fact I was a nerd, it’s was just never gonna happen.”

“And I’ve been seen as a dangerous delinquent, so nobody was coming ‘round to make out,” Banri said, dragging his chair closer so he could better see the screen and rested his chin on his hand, “But it don’t matter since you don’t have anything to compare it too.”

“Okay, now you’re going into “we can practice on each other” territory and we got the nerd - delinquent troupe down,” Itaru smiled, eyes still glued to his screen as he pushed his phone towards him, “I won’t mind doing that, but just don’t say it out loud. Anyways, can you play the dungeon that I started? I’m trying to keep my number one rank.”


	2. Level Progression [Rated E]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Rated E: Semi-explicit smut!!]
> 
> Itaru asked Banri to buy some gear that he's not leveled enough to use yet ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Rated E: Semi-explicit smut ]
> 
> Itaru asked Banri to buy some gear that he's not leveled enough to use yet ;)
> 
> CW (Contains Spoilers): Mutual Masturbation

At first, Banri thought that something was wrong with him; Itaru would inviting him over to his room, using stickers that were way too suggestive for the quick makeout sessions that almost always turned into them playing some co-op game before Itaru kicked him out to sleep. Then he figured that maybe Itaru wasn’t interested in sex and that’s why he never made an attempt to go down that route, but Banri has seen his game library and he highly doubted that the collection of eroges that were installed were strictly for his interest in the plot. 

_ From Taruchi: You still at the mall? _

_ To Taruchi: Yea, you need me to bring anything? _

He didn’t expect him to reply since he never does, but a few minutes after his phone buzzed and Itaru replied with a blushing rabbit sticker with a  _...yes.  _ That could have meant a lot of things, but after waiting for a follow-up and getting nothing he realized that he needed to press him into telling him what he wanted. 

_ To Taruchi: Am I supposed to guess? _

_ From Taruchi: Go to that weird gift shop : ) Knirounds released some merch exclusively for them, pick whatever they have, I’ll go to the shop near my office to see if they have whatever you can’t get  _

_ To Taruchi: Alright, see you when you get home.  _

_ From Taruchi: Thank you ♥ see you then :) _

Banri smiled as he pocketed his phone, making his way towards the gift shop and rolling his eyes when he saw the display promotion. It felt out of character to see the familiar characters’ outfits made… lewd. He expected the merch line to be figures or shirts, which there were but it was obvious that the main star was the lingerie - which he didn’t quite understand since getting a stage adaption to pass was hard enough for the company. 

_ To Taruchi: the merch is lingerie? _

_ From Taruchi: that’s why I sent the sticker _

_ To Taruchi: I’ll buy it, but what size would you be _

_ From Taruchi: Don’t know, get whatever you think would fit _

_ To Taruchi: Are you gonna wear it for me ;) _

_ From Taruchi: AH _

_ From Taruchi: I am working now _

Banri smiled and he grabbed a basket and sorted through the figures, grabbing each one before sorting the shirts. He was hesitant about moving onto the lingerie, not just because he didn’t exactly understand how to pick a size and didn’t want to ask for assistance so he just tried to imagine how Itaru looked as he looked through them. He knew that Itaru was a collector and with how things have been going, he doubted he would ever see Itaru in the frilly Lancelot get up so he just grabbed the size that looked like it would work and shoved it under the rest of the merch. 

***

“Here’s your stuff,” Banri tossed the black bag on his lap, locking the door as he joined his boyfriend on the couch, “Didn’t know much about the sizing so I hope it fits you.”

“Oh, you weren’t joking about that?” Itaru blushed as he began taking out the figures, lining them up on the coffee table. He seemed like he was trying to hold out on taking out the main attraction, but he smiled as he took out the Lancelot set and checked the tags.

“You got the men sizing, nice,” He looked up at Banri and then down at the set, “But, uh, I’ll pay you for them since you paid a lot.”

“Itaru, can we talk about something?” Banri wanted to get to the bottom of the whole intimacy issue that he was noticing; he didn’t want to pressure Itaru into anything that he wasn’t ready or into, but he rather clear the air if it was an issue with him. 

“Sure, what about?”

“I don’t know if you’re just not into like… getting it on in general or if it’s just because it’s me, but every time we’re making out and it feels like we can keep going, you just stop,” Banri sighed as he watched as Itaru put the lingerie down and moved the bag to the side, humming nervously but listening to him, “I’m cool with just making out if that’s all you want to do, but just tell me now so I stop trying to make moves on ya.”

“I just don’t want you to see me like that,” Itaru let out a laugh, trying to hide how he instinctively moved to cross his arms around his stomach. Banri knew about his struggles with his body through his life - he was self-conscience and while he was better at being open about his struggles, he usually painted it as a funny story but Banri knew better. Itaru was attractive in a willowy, boyish way that was reminiscent of a shoujo manga love interest; something that he took advantage of for a good bit. But Banri knew exactly the type of guy that Itaru  _ wanted  _ to be - the brawny, dependable hero type that he liked to project on. He must have been too quiet for too long because Itaru moved, taking his hand and squeezing it, “I’m not as… attractive without my clothes. I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“Oh,” Banri shook his head and brought Itaru’s hand up to his lips, a gesture that he learned from the resident poet was a sign of devotion for you lover and Itaru was a fantasy nerd and knew just as much. He didn’t know what to say - “ _ I saw you heaving over after five minutes of warm-up exercises and then leave for a 15-minute bathroom break, I don’t expect you to be built like a god”  _ was a good way for Itaru to know that Banri didn’t expect anything more than what he knew, but it also seemed like the wrong words to say at a time like this, “I won’t be disappointed, ya know? I like you for you, I wouldn’t have been so excited to see you in nerd lingerie if I didn’t.”

Itaru smiled and picked up the set again, his fingers tracing over the gold detailing on the Lancelot top. He knew Banri was telling the truth - he knew his lifestyle of being an immobile gamer yet still made his way to his room every night to make out and he wanted to believe that he wanted to see him like that. But he wasn’t at that point just yet.

“We can work up to it,” Itaru said, but it was more of a question - he wanted Banri to confirm that they could eventually get to that point because he wanted that. Itaru smiled and leaned against Banri’s shoulder, smiling as he looked at their clasped hands. He trusted Banri - he trusted him completely and fully, without a single doubt in his mind that Banri would deliberately hurt him. And it terrified him. 

“Of course, we can take it slow. I just wanted to know if there was a reason that you would stop making out to play something,” 

“Sorry, I just didn’t know how to get us to slow down,” Itaru laughed, looking up at him before pressing a kiss to Banri’s lips with a confidence that he normally didn’t have. Banri was normally the one who made the first move - stealing a kiss before Itaru started a dungeon raid, brushing his fingers through his hair and kissing him before moving to pie his bangs up, or just any of the ways that he manages to press kisses against his face before moving on like he didn’t just ignite every nerve in his body. But now he was doing that with no intention of moving onto something else unless it was more. 

“You sure about this?” Banri asked, hands settling on Itaru’s waist once he settled himself on his lap. 

“Just… let me keep my clothes on and I’ll be fine,” He smiled, pressing kisses against Banri’s jaw - his fingers tangling in the soft strands at the nape of his neck, tugging slightly as their lips connected. It was just as frantic and messy as their first makeout session; Banri’s tongue was everywhere he could get it to reach, rubbing against Itaru’s before attempting to coax it into his mouth. Saliva was practically dripping between them, every time they pulled away it seemed like more was connecting their lips. It was gross, they both knew that much, kissing was usually less… messy from how it looked in movies or porn, but neither of them was phased by it in the slightest. 

“You can keep your clothes on, but do you mind if I -” Banri trailed off, too embarrassed to actually ask if he could undress, but Itaru nodded and scooted back to give him room. Pulling his shirt off and tossing it to the side, he was immediately felt up by Itaru’s curious, gentle touch over his muscles. He wasn’t as big as Tasuku or Omi, but he was defined and toned enough that Itaru was amazed by him.   
“I wish I looked like you,” Itaru said, mostly under his breath as he continued to trace over the light definition of his abs. Banri frowned when he heard that, he didn’t want Itaru to feel like he needed to look like him to be attractive and he wished that he could say something that would change his mind. He was caught off when Itaru’s fingertips circled his nipples, a shiver running down his spine and he arched into his touch. Banri didn’t know what to do besides pull him into a kiss to hide the fact that his face was burning from embarrassment - he never really experimented and Itaru’s hands were a lot softer than his own so each drag of his fingertips against his skin felt so foreign. So good.

“Banri,” Itaru was whispering against his lips for the brief moment they pulled away from breath, his hands around his wrists as he pulled them towards the hem of his shirt, “You can touch me too.”

Banri nodded, letting his hands slip under Itaru’s shirt and smiling as he felt the bumps rise against his fingertips. He wondered if Itaru touched himself like this - slowly tracing patterns into his own skin before circling up to his nipples, just like Banri was doing now.

“You like that?” Itaru asked as he pitched Banri’s nipples - it was meant to be a question on if Banri was enjoying what he was doing but Banri couldn’t form a coherent thought and he just made a noise that he would have to be embarrassed about later. Itaru was doing too much and Banri didn’t know if this was something that he should get used to or if his boyfriend was just extremely desperate at the moment; Itaru was grinding against him, his hips jolting every time Banri’s fingertips closed around or rolled his nipple. 

Itaru muttered something that Banri couldn’t quite understand before dipping in to kiss him again, his tongue running along his lips before dipping into his mouth and Banri could tell that Itaru was trying to mimic what he usually did. The fact that Itaru was taking the lead was enough to make Banri a little confused since Itaru was usually very compliant when they were making out, letting Banri maneuver their actions without ever complaining. But Banri knew he was hard, each time his hips would move forward his erection would press against his stomach and he would let out a shaky exhale or whine. His hands were all over Banri, running over his shoulders, down his abs, scratching gently over his nipples. 

“Can I take care of this for you?” Banri finally gave acknowledgment to the bulge now straining against his boyfriend’s grey sweats, sweeping his thumb over the faintly darkened fabric where precum was seeping through. Itaru nodded, his eyes half-lidded and he looked even more out of it than when he would pull days-long gaming marathons, which was saying a lot - this man was the king of faking attentiveness, but he was just staring at Banri with an unfocused gaze.

“Can I…” He trailed off and blushed, looking away as he ground down against Banri, “If you want me to.”

Banri could figure out what he was asking easily - maybe it was because his own poor communication skills gave him the ability to understand what the fragmented request was, but he was too horny to think about it too much so he nodded. Itaru slid back just enough to give himself room to undo Banri’s jeans, getting frustrated when he realized that it would probably be best for him to get off his lap so the jeans could come off and he could have better access and moved back onto the couch reluctantly. Banri quickly pushed his jeans down just around his thighs, letting his boxers join and he smiled as Itaru let out a hum before wrapping his hand around him. It didn’t seem like Itaru was going to undress and that was fine with Banri, he was more than happy to go at whatever speed Itaru was comfortable with. 

“I’m just going to…” Banri slipped his hand under the waistband of the sweats and his boxers, his hand wrapping around Itaru’s cock in a lazy grip that the older man thrust into. Itaru’s gripped tightened slightly as he leaned in to kiss him, the kisses were soft pecks that were interwoven with sighs as they slowly built up to a matching rhythm. 

“You’re big, Banri,” Itaru mumbled, circling his thumb over the head and smiling at the way Banri hissed. Even though he couldn’t see what Itaru was working with, he could definitely tell that he had nothing to be ashamed of. 

“You think so?” Banri smiled, as Itaru nodded and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. Banri was close- the way that Itaru gave up stroking and resorted to rubbing his thumb in circles just under the head was just the difference in pace that he needed to inch closer to the edge. Banri imagined that it must have been how Itaru got himself off and his stomach clenched as he tried to stave off his orgasm, but the thought of Itaru touching him the way he liked to be touched himself was too much. He tried to replicate it and Itaru was practically convulsing as he came with a whine, his fist tightening just enough around Banri’s cock as he bit down on his shoulder. Banri cursed, eyes rolling back as ropes of cum shot up against his stomach once Itaru went slack and his grip loosened. Itaru was limp against his side, his breathing even and Banri smiled when he realized that he was just dazed as he stared at the figure on the table; his legs twitching as he withdrew his hand from his sweats, but he was otherwise out of it. The quiet was short-lived as Itaru came back in a matter of seconds, mumbling about how the cum was drying in his pants.

“Are you going to leave?” Itaru asked, wiping his hand off on his pants before moving the long-forgotten figures onto his desk before taking the lingerie sets and hanging them up on the rack with his work shirts.

“Nah, I can hang out,” Banri got up, grabbing a shirt from the laundry to clean himself off before tucking himself back into his jeans. He watched as Itaru pulled out clean boxers and looked back at him, blushing as he cleared his throat. Banri turned around and made a show of covering his eyes, “I won’t look.”

Itaru quickly undressed and cleaned himself off just enough to be comfortable and pulled the boxers on before walking to Banri and slipping his arms around him. He didn't know why he wanted to be close after doing all that; after they would make out, he usually was distant as fear settled in and he felt like he needed to put that barrier between them just to stay sane. But now all he wanted was to be close to him and he marked it up for him letting himself be vulnerable and now he couldn’t recover. Banri’s hand cover the one that was resting on his stomach and Itaru could feel the vibration as he made a noise that he took as a positive.

“You alright?” Banri asked, pulling Itaru’s hands loose so he could turn - his arms wrapped around him and Itaru shrugged. He didn’t want to say anything because he could trust himself to not say something he would regret - like admit his feelings.

“Yes, just thanks for getting the merch,” Itaru mumbled and Banri nodded, letting Itaru lead him back to the couch. Itaru turned on the TV, grabbing the controllers and handing one to Banri before curling up against his side and starting up the console. Banri didn’t want to press on the fact that Itaru was much more affectionate than he ever was, but then again, they both just got each other off and not even 12 minutes later they were starting up a dungeon crawler like it didn’t happen. He was fine with this, if this is how far Itaru could get with affection, he’ll take whatever small amounts of level progression came with their encounters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said standalone but these all are semi-connected!! also I'm only putting them into a collection because I am Deathly Afraid of the eng fandom putting a hit on me for Flooding the Tag bc they think Banita is a "problematic ship" so they are actually like full one shots that I wish I could post separately :(
> 
> [ my twitter!](https://twitter.com/Dicesboyfriend)


	3. My Muse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Night, Taru,” Banri yawned as he settled against the shared pillow, Itaru already snoring softly. Banri’s lips pressed against his bare shoulder and he let out a breath against his neck, “Thanks for being my muse for the night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my brain goes brrrr about Banita, i just think they are neat

A school project was the last thing that Itaru expected Banri’s intention to be when he left him with an urgent  _ can i come to your room  _ at 2am. Like most things in his life, Banri was set on going at his own pace - not really taking any sense of urgency if he thought he could get through it ease and that’s why he was frantically bringing his art set up to room 103 in the dead of night. 

“What is this?” Itaru was tired, he just finished a legendary dungeon and after that, he wanted nothing more than to just mindlessly grind for the resources that he went through. Banri just grunted as he set up a small easel on the coffee table, pushing his hair out of his face before taking out supplies.

“Banri,” Itaru was annoyed - not so much at Banri being in his room, but because he didn’t know if he was needed so he couldn’t start up a new mission. Banri turned to him, smiling as he dropped his sketchbook onto the stand, “Am I need or?”

“Yeah, uh, take off your clothes and drag your chair in front of me,” Itaru hummed and momentarily considered doing it without more prompting, but he couldn’t bring himself to that just yet. He’s already been able to strip himself down to his boxers and a t-shirt, but even if Banri had been feeling him up blindly and probably could map out the imperfections of his body just but his knowledge from that alone, being completely exposed was too much for him to even think about.

“Can I ask what for?” Itaru had already stripped down to what he was comfortable with, not knowing why Banri was even there, and asking him to get naked with art supplies out was more nerve-wracking than he cared to admit.

“I forgot about this assignment I have due at 2nd period, thought I would be able to do it on my own, read the instructions, and found out I need a model. And it’s for the life drawing elective class that I took so you need to be naked,” Banri said, gesturing for Itaru to continue to undress. Itaru sighed and quickly undressed, trying to mentally talk himself up for whatever inevitable disappointment would show up on Banri’s face. He was self-conscious, but he was willing to help Banri with his assignment and if he needed to put aside his own insecurities, that was something he was willing to do. 

“Ah, my face though?” It was one thing being naked for his art, but it was another thing having his identity on display like that. He was still a semi-respectable salaryman and if one person in Banri’s class was to put together that it was him just from knowing the company, it was all over for him.

“It’s just an assignment for dynamic body poses so I can just vaguely draw the direction of your head and it should be fine,” Banri said, sitting down and not even mentioning the fact that this was the first time that he was seeing Itaru fully naked - in fact, he was oddly professional as he gave him instructions on how to maneuver his body on his seat. 

It was an uncomfortable 2 hours - Itaru was sure that his back would be locked in the weirdly crunched up position that Banri told him to get in and his legs had gone numb about 20 minutes into sitting with it draped over the armrest. Some part of him was sure that this would have ended up with them making out at the very least, he was naked and spread so Banri would have no problem taking him just like that on the chair, but Banri was too focused on his work that Itaru was worried that maybe he wasn’t that attractive and that’s why Banri hadn’t said anything to him. Banri finally put his pencil down, leaning back against the couch as he turned it around to show him - it was good, perfect even, almost like he had just taken a picture and put a sketchy filter over it. 

“Sorry for taking up your game time,” Banri yawned as he got up, helping Itaru to his feet and supporting him as he slowly got his blood to flow correctly into his legs. Itaru did his best to shrug, but the cramping that now made itself known prevented him from moving much more than that. Banri let him fall onto the couch before finding his boxers and putting them on him, “Sorry for making you undress like that, I know that you’re not really comfortable with being naked with me.”

“Ah, it’s fine,” Itaru smiled as he stretched out, the sound of his vertebrae realigning was more audible than it should be at his age. He really didn’t mind being naked like this - a time where Banri’s focus was mostly on something else rather than directly on him and his focus was on trying to not fall off the chair and ruin the post that Banri was drawing, “It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, especially since you didn’t say anything about me.”

“Well, if you are looking for me to say something, if I wasn’t trying to get an assignment done I would have been all over you,” Banri smirked as Itaru mumbled thanks and tried not to look flustered, but his face was red as he shook some feeling back into his arms, “You gonna play some more or get some sleep?”

“Probably sleep, my back can’t take sitting in that chair anymore,” Itaru sat up and pressed a kiss to Banri’s cheek, “I know you have classes so get some sleep too, yeah? If you want, you can just sleep here since you’ll probably wake up Juza trying to get your things back.”

“Mm, is that a sincere concern, or do you just want me to stay with you?” Banri caught the blush that crept up his boyfriend’s cheeks before kissing him, it was short-lived but Itaru was completely dazed by the action and just nodded. Banri had stayed late in his room, even before they started dating, but staying the night - as in sleeping in the same bed was  _ a lot _ different and he couldn’t tell if Itaru was serious about it or was just tired.

“Stay with me,” Itaru smiled and pressed a sweet kiss to the tip of his nose, “Because I am concerned. And other reasons.”

“You want to tell me other reasons?” Banri asked, standing up and easily lifting Itaru into his arms. 

“I think you made me break my spine,” Itaru said with a smile, groaning when Banri deposited him on the bed and he sank into the mattress, “And you owe me it since I gave up my headstart on the missions that were just released.”

“I’ll send you some money to buy some event boxes as my apology,” Banri smiled, pulling his shirt off and tossing it in the general direction of the couch before hesitating about taking off his jeans, “You mind?”

“No, just hurry up,” Itaru mumbled, scooting over to make room for him before realizing that it was going to be a tight fit on the twin-sized mattress unless Banri wanted to cuddle with him to fit comfortably. Of course, he wasn’t opposed to that but Banri sliding next to him in just his boxers made him feel like he was going to die.

“Come over here,” Itaru mumbled, turning on his side and holding his arms open, “The bed isn’t big enough for two people.”

“Sure,” Banri smirked but moved so his back was against the older man’s chest and Itaru’s arms slipped around his waist. It was awkward - Itaru was stiff, almost like he was scared of hurting Banri despite their strength difference, “If we’re gonna cuddle, let me be the big spoon.”

Itaru turned, mumbling that they weren’t spooning but curling against the younger man’s body anyways. Banri’s lips pressed against his bare shoulder and he let out a breath against his neck.

“Night, Taru,” Banri yawned as he settled against the shared pillow, Itaru already snoring softly, “Thanks for being my muse for the night.”

***

Banri smiled as Itaru cuddled closer against his chest, mumbling about not having work today and Banri was thankful that he checked his email before getting out of bed. His class was cancelled and he could relish in the closest thing to a lazy morning he could have with Itaru.

“Banri?” Itaru asked as he yawned, his eyes barely open as he moved to look at him, “What time is it?”

“Almost noon. Class was cancelled, don't worry,” Banri pressed a kiss to his forehead, stroking his cheek. Itaru looked soft when he wasn’t gaming or putting on that salaryman act - his face wasn’t scrunched up in concentration or anger, there was some emotion other than “Please let me leave” in his eyes; instead, he looked at Banri with something he couldn’t quite place, “You look cute in the morning, Taru.”

“Shut up,” Itaru blushed and pushed his face against his chest. There was the hostility that Banri expected, but it was contrasted with the way he was snuggling against him, “You don’t get to be sweet when you made me pose for you for nothing.”. 

“I had to send my professor pictures of it, then we’re doing a critique next week of it so it wasn’t for nothing,” Banri sat up, stretching as he pushed off the blankets, “You gonna stay in bed?”

“Not if you leave,” Itaru smiled and Banri had to admit that was a smooth line that he wasn’t expecting. Itaru’s arm wrapped around his hips and he shifted to rest his head against his thigh, “You’re blushing. I stole the line from hentai.”

"And here I was thinking you could actually not be a dweeb,” Banri scoffed as Itaru sat up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “But it was still nice to hear so I’ll ignore where you got it from.”

Itaru chuckled, leaning over to grab his phone from the charger - he opened up a game while Banri got out of bed, searching for his clothes in the mess that was Itaru’s room. He wasn’t opposed to cleaning it up from him, but he knew that even after a deep clean - there would be clothes and trash strewn around after a week.

“Oh shit,” Itaru groaned and got up, quickly searching his closet for clothes and dressing up, “They’re gonna see we slept together.” 

Banri was confused - bedsharing was hardly sleeping together, but then it hit. Nobody knew they were together and if they both came out of Itaru’s room after Banri had snuck over in the middle of the night, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that  _ something _ was going on. 

“It’s fine,” Banri shrugged and collected his things, once he was dressed, “Just stay here and I’ll explain why I was in your room. Say I slept on the couch and not that I was holding you all night.”

“Banri, this is…” 

“Serious. Yeah, yeah, I know,” Banri shrugged again, not really understanding why it was such a big deal if the others knew they were dating - they were both adults, they were both into each other and they weren’t scared to pursue what they wanted. If people knowing about them is a fear of Itaru’s, he couldn’t empathize. He wanted everyone to know that they were together, he had a hot boyfriend who was cute - even when he made video game references when they were making out or related every milestone to an XP gain. He wanted to leave Itaru with a kiss on the lips - smiling when Itaru mumbled a goodbye, cheeks flushed and she looked away in an attempt to hide how flustered he got.

“Before I go, how much XP does bedsharing get us?” 

“A lot, like enough that you are on your way to a good ending,” Itaru answered as if these words made any sense in reality - but at the same time, Banri knew what he meant. He was on his way to a love confession if he played his hand right, which wasn’t going to be hard since romancing Itaru was a combination of gifting him Kniround merch and letting him sit on his lap while he played games, or it could just be a full sequence since he had already seen him naked now, “And if you need me to be your  _ muse  _ again, just don’t make me break my back like that again.”

“Oi, you dumbass, I thought you were asleep when I said that!” Banri shoved Itaru’s shoulder, laughing as Itaru grabbed his arm to keep from falling over.

“You were talking right into my ear two seconds after we laid down,” Itaru smirked as if he had just won. It was a win that Banri was more than happy to give him, especially since he knew that Itaru talked in his sleep and was more than eager to ask to be cuddled while he was unconscious. Which was infinitely more embarrassing than what he said, but he wasn’t going to bring that up because he knew what he said wouldn’t be leaving this room just like all their other secrets, “Now get out, unless you want to be my chair for the day.”

Banri rolled his eyes and headed out, not wanting to further embarrass himself by telling Itaru that he wasn’t opposed to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hosting [might be foreshadowing for other fics ~](https://twitter.com/BanitaWeek)

**Author's Note:**

> [ hello please follow me/dm me on twt if you post itaban/banita content !!!! ](https://twitter.com/Dicesboyfriend)


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